1956 Jomar MK II Sports- Racer

1,097cc Coventry-Climax 4-Cylinder Engine
Twin SU H4 Carburetors
Est. 85bhp at 5,400rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Independent Torsion Bar Suspension
4-Wheel Hydraulic Alfin Drum Brakes

*Impressive period racing history competing against prominent international cars and drivers
*Campaigned when new by Ray Saidel and his legendary Saidel Sports-Racing Cars Co
*Beautiful lightweight alloy bodywork and capable TVR chassis layout
*Meticulously documented with and abundance period records and lovely racing photos


SAIDEL SPORTS-RACING CARS

When Raymond Saidel took over Merrimack Street Garage in Manchester, New Hampshire after his father's passing in 1950, one of his early ideas was to promote the dealership through racing. He started out racing an HRG, and then switched to an Allard J2X LeMans - powered by an Oldsmobile V-8 engine which he installed at his shop - and in 1955, the talented driver won the SCCA C-Modified Championship for the Northeastern region. Having the facilities and knowledge to build an even more competitive race car, he began work on the Jomar race cars; the name 'Jomar' chosen after Saidel's oldest daughter Joanna and the oldest son, Marc.

Partnered with Louis Turner and Norman Leeds, beginning with an English Dellow chassis, Saidel and Co created a lightweight aluminum body and installed a Ford 1,172cc side-valve engine mated to a three-speed gearbox. The two cars made became known as the Jomar Mk I and did fairly well in competition, but it was not long before work began on a replacement.
For the next group of cars - the Jomar Mk II - Saidel used a TVR platform. A TVR 7C type chassis was ordered in late 1955 and came equipped with magnesium drum brakes and five-lug bolt-on rims. A 1,100cc Coventry-Climax engine in Stage 1 tune was installed and offered 75 horsepower. Saidel and his team created a beautiful hand-formed aluminum Roadster body, which was finished in blue paint. The car was completed by August and immediately put through testing and further development. Saidel was not satisfied with the brakes and suspension, so contacted TVR and requested the front suspension to be re-worked before additional chassis were ordered. When Saidel's Jomar Mk II was able to finish the races, it did rather well, and at Lime Rock in April of 1957, the Mk II came in fourth, fighting fierce competition from notable contemporary racing cars and drivers.


THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

Jomar Mk II chassis no. 7C104 offered here was the fourth TVR racing chassis built and the 3rd Jomar Mk II built by Saidel Sports-Racing Cars in Manchester, New Hampshire. The car had been slotted to compete at Sebring, but as that didn't materialize, 7C104 went on to race in the 1957 and 1958 seasons, entered in over 20 documented races at prestigious events around the US with Saidel himself behind the wheel. Major tracks were raced with 7C104, including Cumberland, Limerock, Thompson and Watkins Glen. In 1958, Saidel and 7C104 finished an impressive 13th overall in the Unites States Road Racing Championship, having competed against major car manufacturer's most advanced machinery, such as Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar, in the hands of professional drivers such as Shelby, Hansgen, Past and Penske.

Today 7C104 is offered with an abundance of period documentation held in a 2-inch-thick ring binder. The impressive records documents Ray Saidel and TVR's manufacturing adventures with the Jomars in many letters and telegrams, indicating that the relationship was so close that Saidel considered buying a stake in TVR Engineering ltd. There are also letters from United States Auto Club and Sports Car Club of America, thanking and congratulating Saidel for his participation in the various prominent races he successfully entered. In addition to cool period Saidel Sports-Racing Car Company advertisings promoting the Jomar Mk II trying to make it a successful seller for them and TVR, there are wonderful period photos from the Manchester-based workshops showing the craftsmen Louis Turner and Norman Leeds carry out the aluminum bodywork fabrication on the TVR chassis, as well as photos from them testing and racing the Jomar Mk II. A tremendous amount of race records, and many copies of period newspaper articles listing and showing the Jomar in action can also be found, in addition to copies the FIA Historical technical Passport, validating the Jomar 7C104 for racing and documenting its historical components on the car.

Later restored to exacting original specifications, while incorporating current safety measures, the Jomar Mk II has been a fixture at many prominent North American Vintage races for the past decade, including the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca and Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival in the hands of the consignor, a capable Texas-based vintage racing driver and collector of important sports cars. With its impressive period racing history competing against big factory cars, beautiful lightweight alloy bodywork and capable TVR chassis layout, the Jomar Mk II is a wonderful piece of American sports car racing history.